As her daughter Athena’s christening approaches this Friday, December 12 at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace, Princess Beatrice has made the difficult decision to invite her father Andrew, despite their increasingly strained relationship. The invitation comes more from concern than reconciliation.
Even moments of pure joy cannot always ease the tensions rippling through the British royal family. Stripped of his titles and still haunted by scandal, Prince Andrew—along with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson—continues to cast a long shadow over the lives of his daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie. Yet he will be present at the christening of his granddaughter Athena, born January 22. The ceremony, organized in strict privacy for Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi’s second child, will mark the couple’s first appearance in a royal setting since stepping back from public life. It’s a presence Beatrice appears to have accepted more out of family duty than genuine peace.
According to a source quoted by Hello! magazine: “Beatrice has of course invited her father. But their relationship is strained. She worries about him. He’s going through a difficult time psychologically, and he adores his grandchildren. It would be cruel to deprive him of attending the christening.” Another insider summed up the atmosphere bluntly: “It will be an important moment, but everyone is dreading Andrew’s presence.”
While the princess remains close to her mother, relations with her father have grown fragile, particularly since the Epstein affair and the disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019—an interview Beatrice herself had tried to help him prepare for.
A Delicate Reappearance for Andrew and Sarah Ferguson
This christening also marks Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s return to a royal palace, as the couple faces prolonged marginalization and the loss of their Royal Lodge residence. While Beatrice wants to give her daughter a ceremony befitting her status, her parents’ presence has sparked reservations within the Windsor family, where some dread the encounter. Behind the scenes, discussions reportedly took place with King Charles III to carefully manage this closely watched reappearance, Hello! reports.
Caught between family joy and institutional unease, Princess Beatrice is attempting to ensure a peaceful christening for her daughter while once again navigating the cumbersome shadow cast by her parents.
Photos credits: Bestimage
